Authorized Service

Authorized Service, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

I don't often shoot smaller neon signs-they're usually meant for wall or window display and the most common ones seem to be for beer or cigarettes. Once in a while, though, one pops up with some other subject matter.

This Buick is one such sign. Something like this would probably have hung in a showroom window, or maybe out by the service department. I don't know if this is original or a reproduction (or, really, if they used these back in the day), but it is gorgeous.

Wolf Automotive

Wolf Automotive, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

A long established dealer in Belvidere, Illinois. I think this is an older sign that has been modified and updated over the years-the font is distinctly modern. But the trapezoid around "Wolf" is distinctly retro.

Either way, I like it.

Neon Friday!

"Z" Frank Chevy neon sign-Chicago, IL, originally uploaded by William 74.

Happy Neon Friday! This week's entry is a Chicago classic. "Z" Frank Chevrolet is a well known area dealership, having been in business for what seems like forever (but was really 1936). They were at their Western Avenue location for ages, till they moved in 2009. The old place is (or was) a gold mine of neat old signage-quite a few vintage Chevrolet logos adorned the walls, including the script logo that went out of use in the sixties. But the best bit was the classic neon sign out front, right along the street. It was a beautiful item, a classic slab of Googie signage, and it even worked pretty well at the end (the eye shaped part, with the "available" sign on it, is the street address, 6060). I sorely regret not getting a good shot of this at night.

This sign really should have been saved and moved to the new location.